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Account Security155 linked articles

Save Your Recovery Codes

Recovery codes are one time codes that let you back in to Octavia if you lose your phone. You get a set of eight when you set up multi factor authentication (MFA). Each code works once. Octavia shows them only once, so s

What Recovery Codes Are

When you set up MFA, your phone's authenticator app makes the sign-in codes. If you lose that phone, you need another way in. Recovery codes are that way: a short list of codes, each made up of ten letters and numbers, shown as two groups of five. You can use each code one time.

Recovery codes apply to your Octavia login, so the same set works wherever you use Octavia: in the teacher app or in the Family Hub.

When You Get Them

  • When you first set up MFA. After you confirm your first authenticator, Octavia shows your recovery codes. You don't get a new set when you add a second device.
  • When you set up MFA again after it was removed or reset. You get a new set, and your old codes stop working.
  • When you make a new set. You can make a new set at any time from your account page (see below).
  • If you set up MFA before recovery codes existed, your account page shows a prompt to create a set. Nothing is blocked while you decide.

Saving Your Codes

On the Save your recovery codes screen:

  • Select Copy all, Download (a text file) or Print. All three give you the same codes.
  • Tick I have saved these codes. The Continue button stays grey until you do.

Keep them somewhere you can reach if your phone is lost or broken:

  • Print them and keep the page somewhere safe, or write them down.
  • Or save them in a password manager.

Octavia will never email you your recovery codes, or ask you to send them to us.

Using a Recovery Code

  1. Sign in with your email and password.
  2. On the code screen, select Use a recovery code.
  3. Type one of your codes. You can type it in capitals or lower case, with or without the hyphen.
  4. Select Use this code.

What happens next:

  • The code is used up, and the rest of that set is cancelled.
  • Your authenticator is removed from your account, and you are signed out everywhere.
  • The sign-in page tells you what happened. Sign in again with your password, set up a new authenticator, and you'll get a new set of recovery codes.
  • Octavia emails you to say a recovery code was used, so you'd notice if it wasn't you. If it wasn't you, change your password and contact info@octavia.studio straight away.

If a code doesn't work, Octavia just says "That code did not work". That could mean a mistake in typing, a code you've already used, or one from an older set that has been replaced. After several wrong attempts in a short time, Octavia asks you to wait and try again later.

Checking and Making a New Set

Teachers: open My Profile and find the Multi-factor authentication (MFA) card. Parents and students: open Settings in the Hub and find the Two-step sign-in (MFA) card. The Recovery codes section shows how many unused codes you have.

  • If you have two or fewer left, or none, the card warns you.
  • Select Generate new codes, or Create recovery codes if you have none. If you still have unused codes, Octavia asks you to confirm first, because your current codes will stop working.
  • Octavia shows the new set once. Save it as above.

You'll get an email to say new recovery codes were created, so you'd notice if it wasn't you.

Keeping Them Private

Anyone who has your password and one of your unused codes could remove your MFA. Treat the codes like a spare key. If you think someone else has seen them, make a new set straight away. This cancels the old set.

If You've Lost Your Codes Too

  • If you can still sign in, make a new set from your account page. This is the easy fix, so do it as soon as you notice the codes are gone.
  • If you can't sign in, we can still help as a last resort. Email info@octavia.studio from the email address on your account (a school administrator can do this for you). We'll check that it is you before we reset your MFA, so it takes longer than using a recovery code. Then you sign in with your password and set up a new authenticator.

Previous: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for Your Account